1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to liquid purification, and more particularly to a floating skimming apparatus having a movable deflecting chamber for deflecting contaminated particles to a vertex where the contaminated particles are collected and removed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In typical liquid treatment systems a filtering tank is used to remove foreign particles from a contaminated liquid prior to the liquid being used for human consumption or dumped in rivers, lakes or oceans. Although the filtering tank removes the contaminated particles from the contaminated liquid and is capable of purifying the liquid to a high degree, light particles tend to float on the top of the liquid and tends to form scum on the surface of the liquid. Although the floating particles and scum present little problem to the actual purification of the liquid, it will become unsightly and in time will begin to smell if allowed to accumulate on the surface of the liquid. In addition, the floating particles and scum may clog and damage the various mechanical devices that are associated with a typical filtering tank if they are allowed to collect on the surface of the liquid. Thus, it is common practice to remove the floating particles and scum from the surface of the liquid in the filtering tanks.
A number of skimming apparatuses are used for skimming the surface of the liquid in a filtering tank for removing the floating particles and scum therefrom. Almost all such skimming apparatuses are rigidly secured to a movable device which traverses the length of the tank. All such skimming apparatuses have a distinct disadvantage in that the liquid level within the tank must be maintained at a specific level so that a portion of the skimmer is above the surface of the liquid and a portion is submerged below the surface of the liquid. Thus, if the liquid level is too high the entire skimmer is submerged below the surface of the liquid and the floating particles and scum will flow over the top of the skimmer. Conversely, if the liquid level in the tank is too low the floating particles and scum will flow underneath the skimmer. In either case, the floating particles and scum on the surface of the liquid cannot be removed by the skimmer.
One such type of skimmer includes a straight blade which extends substantially the width tank and is rigidly secured at a specific liquid level to a movable device that traverses the length of the tank. Additionally, at one end of the tank a trough is conventionally formed in the tank at a certain specified liquid level. Thus, as the movable device moves toward the end of the tank where the trough is located the skimmer blade pushes the floating particles and scum toward the end of the tank. As the skimmer blade approaches the tank it pushes the floating particles and scum into the trough and the floating particles and scum are removed by the trough to a disposal area outside the tank. Again, as previously mentioned, the disadvantage of such a skimming blade is that it is dependant upon a specific liquid level being maintained within the tank and, additionally, it can only skim the surface of the liquid in the direction where the trough is located. Further, it has been found that not all the floating particles and scum will enter the trough prior to the blade moving in the opposite direction. Thus, some floating particles and scum will remain upon the surface of the liquid at all times.
A second type of skimmer is conventionally called a vortex skimmer and uses a cone located at one end of the tank. The vortex skimmer cone is located at a specific liquid level in the tank. In addition, a straight blade is rigidly secured at the desired liquid level. A movable device moves the blade across the tank toward the vortex cone and the skimmer blade pushes the floating particles and scum into the cone and the floating particles and scum spiral downward into the cone and are disposed of outside the tank. Again, a disadvantage of such a skimming apparatus is that it can only be used at a specific liquid level and not all the floating particles and scum will flow into the vortex skimming cone thus leaving some floating particles and scum on the surface of the liquid.
Another type skimming apparatus uses a beach at one end of the tank which rises above the surface of the liquid and ends in a trough. Again, a straight blade is rigidly secured to a movable device that moves the blade along the length of the tank. Again, both the blade and the beach are secured at a specific liquid level. When the movable device moves the skimmer toward the end of the tank where the beach is located the blade pushes the floating particles and scum into the trough. This type of skimming apparatus has a further disadvantage in that as the blade rides up the beach for dumping the floating particles and scum into the trough the smaller particles and scum will flow back down the beach between the beach and the blade and remain upon the surface of the liquid. This is particularly true where oily substances are being skimmed.
Other types of rigidly secured blade type skimmers that are used in filters and clarifiers are shown in Shaffer U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,257 and Quast et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,132. These type skimmers have the same disadvantage which has been mentioned above since they are dependant upon a specific liquid level and require a beach mechanism such as shown in Quast et al.
Floating skimmers such as shown in Bagnulo U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,768 and Falxa U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,540 have been developed to skim the surface of floating particles and scum independent of the liquid level within the tank. Such devices float on the surface of the water and are partially submerged. The floating particles and scum flow into the floating skimmer and are removed therefrom. However, such devices have a distinct disadvantage in that they are unable to skim the entire surface of the liquid in the tank. They merely float around a portion of the tank and thus there will be portions of the tank that the floating skimmer may not reach, thus some floating particles and scum will remain on the surface of the liquid at all times.